10 Post-Pandemic Opportunities to Grow Your Business in 2021

February 18, 2021 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What are the top 10 opportunities hidden in plain sight and available right now to grow and scale your business post-pandemic?

I don’t have to tell you that this has been a crazy year for most people. There are a ton of businesses that have done exceptionally well during this unprecedented time.

The largest wealth transfer in human history is happening right now. Fortunes have been made to the tune of trillions in 2020. Was it you? Will it be you?

Professor Scott Galloway reported in 2009, e-commerce represented about 6% of all retail sales in the United States. That increased 1% each year up until last year when the pandemic hit. Inside of eight weeks, we went from 16% to 27%.

The world and business shot ahead about five years due to the usage of Zoom.

Related: 25 Ways to Make Your Zoom Meetings Awesome!

We had no choice. We didn’t have travel, the hotel industry, or live events. Everything crashed and burned but those who pivoted have done very well. Those who didn’t are struggling to survive. The advancement in mindset, thinking about what has value, shifted dramatically and is a huge part in the preparation for the post-pandemic, chaos, crisis, and opportunity.

Through an entrepreneur’s lens, I asked, “where are the opportunities inside this chaos and confusion? How can I add value, serve and provide more value?” That’s what I think being a great entrepreneur is all about.

Here are my “Top 10 Post Pandemic Growth Strategies”

These come from a variety of case studies, observations, and thoughts I’ve had this past year

1. Craft a pandemic-proof offer

• Elevate what you already do and move into a big-ticket offer targeted at an audience with more money.
• Virtualize, Digitize, Dematerialize. The best part of the new “Zoom Economy” is the perception of value for in-person versus online is equal in nearly every business.
• Craft a story that’s tied to your brand that articulates your product experience with social proof.
• Elevate you and your brand properly with authority and status with content marketing.
• Use one or more channels to “bring ‘em in.”

2. Get narrow, deep, and expensive

• Build deep, meaningful relationships with potential clients with personalized messaging.
• Design offers that can be delivered to any country or industry.
• Don’t be afraid to double or triple your prices.
• Create a “category of one” brand.

3. Zoom it up! 

• Sell and deliver with Zoom.
• Build a studio – I recommend getting a quality microphone, ring light, and branded background. This is the one my team uses.
• The biggest players increased revenue and sales using Zoom – Tony Robbins had record attendance for his UPW events, previously only delivered live.
• Go international.

4. Use podcasts to get clients and rapidly create content

• Get on podcasts where your ideal clients will hear you or start your own.
• Consider hiring a podcast booking agency – $200-$400 will get you on a quality podcast with thousands of subscribers.
• Podcasts are the fastest and easiest way to get SEO.

5. Create and borrow super credibility

• If you can’t be found on Google immediately, you’re at a huge disadvantage
• Content marketing is critical for generating leads and credibility.
• You need consistent SEO with disciplined content creation.
• Gain super credibility by interviewing or being interviewed by experts on podcasts, blogs, or platforms.
• If you haven’t already started using Clubhouse, get an invite and start speaking in rooms. It’s a great place to network with experts.

6. Never trust a platform. Email still rules:

• Facebook, Google, and Social can deplatform, delist or censor you at any time. Don’t trust them. Drive traffic back to your website and build a list.
• Email reigns for connection-building and sales.
• Invest in cold email – there are super affordable database services with hundreds of millions of contacts for $100-$300 per month.

7. “Who” everything up

8. Prepare to go back to physical

• Events will come back.
• Reinvent and zig when everyone else zags.
• Stand out with new ways to deliver in a digitized and virtualized world.

9. Accept cryptocurrency:

10. Embrace Virtual Reality

• It’s intimate and immersive.
• How can you use VR to add value and be unique?
• I’m delivering business coaching with VR this year.

Bonus #11. Here’s an idea that has helped drive sales for us and our clients during the pandemic. Produce a “Day in the Life” video of experiencing your product and service. We created “The Superpower Accelerator Experience” for us.  At the end of this episode is a 6-minute video that we produced for Strategic Coach. It overcomes every sales objection their salespeople hear and describes what it’s like to be a customer.

Related: Here’s How You Can Charge $500,000 for Your Services

Dan Sullivan, Strategic Coach’s founder called it “the finest piece of marketing material Strategic Coach has had in 31 years, a work of art.”

It’s the result of having interviewed over 100 members, the executive team, the sales team, and looking at years of buyer and customer data. We set out to craft a short “hero’s journey” that would be easy for salespeople, clients, and customers to share.

The most profitable lesson I learned in 2020 is the key to achieving consistent growth even in a downturn requires great storytelling, narrowing your message to a higher-end audience, and quickly pivoting how you deliver your product.

Don’t focus on the transaction, sell the transformation.